A Cognitive Study Of The Chinese Direct Adversative Complex Sentence “X,Danshi Y” From The Force Dynamics-Attention Perspective

Adversative complex sentence is a major category in the Chinese complex sentence system.Previous studies have defined and classified it mainly from a logical semantic perspective.However,the process of semantic construction from a cognitive perspective was not prominent,often serving as a complementary explanation of syntax,semantics,and pragmatics.Given this,this thesis investigates the semantic relationship and cognitive process between the clauses before and after the adversative danshi(但是)in the typical direct adversative complex sentence“X,danshi(但是)Y”from the cognitive semantics perspective by employing the force dynamics system and attentional system developed by Talmy.It is intended to address the following two questions:1.How does the typical direct adversative complex sentence“X,danshi(但是)Y”achieve the counter-expectation effect?What are the specific ways to achieve it?2.How to describe the cognitive process of the formation of the counter-expectation effect of this typical direct adversative complex sentence?It is found that due to the structural characteristics of the direct adversative complex sentence,the realization of the counter-expectation effect of“X,danshi(但是)Y”includes three stages:expectation,reality,and counter-expectation.In the first stage,X activates the cognitive subject’s cognitive framework to infer related events and form expectation.In the second stage,Y expresses actual content incompatible with the expectation by stating counter-expectation results,describing critical information,supplementing other conditions,and stating features opposite to X.Finally,the fully presented expectation and realistic information form the counter-expectation meaning in semantic conflict.The cognitive process of counter-expectation follows the changes of the counterexpectation stage and can be schematized.The inferential causal relationship between X and expectation is conceptualized as two force entities and is construed as an extended causative schema.Subsequently,Y joined this schema and is given stronger semantic power by adversative conjunction danshi(但是),thereby changing the schema in the first stage.Specifically,in terms of force dynamics,it is manifested as:adjusting the balance of strength,thus weakening the X’s strength;adding another entity contrary to expectations,thus preventing expected conditions from functioning;completing another entity which is needing to exclude or add to maintain the expected force results;adding an irrelevant entity to cancel the expectation.Thus,the semantic relationship between X and expectation expands from the inferential causal relationship to a reversible causing,despite,and letting relationship.In addition,cognitive attention also changes along with semantic stages.Under the center-periphery pattern,the distribution of attention focuses on the danshi(但是)clauses;under the window of attention pattern,attention windowing changes with the dynamic process of cognitive interpretation;under the level of attention pattern,the distribution of attention also exhibits a continuum characteristics based on the semantic hierarchy and the integrity of counter-expectation information.Moreover,in the Gestalt formation stage of counter-expectation,the three attention patterns competitively attributed to attention prominence.